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Bike Log 2014

bvibert

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I got two more rides in the last 2 days. 11.4 solo on Sunday, 5/4 and our first NW CT NEMBA beginner ride last night, 5/5. A few of us took off for a post ride 'victory lap', so the mileage ended up being 7.4.

Felt great to be out on a group ride again!
 

mlctvt

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I did 2 road rides yesterday and today both the same 23.5 mile route, finished both rides at the same average speed 17.4mph. Heavy wind both days felt like I was climbing the entire ride! I'll take big hills over wind any day.
 

C-Rex

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Did 10 miles in the woods at Case Mountain yesterday with an average speed of 6.7 mph. Not too bad considering it was my 5th ride this season and we did a fair amount of climbing. Brings my total so far up to 44.1 miles.
 

BackLoafRiver

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I did 2 road rides yesterday and today both the same 23.5 mile route, finished both rides at the same average speed 17.4mph. Heavy wind both days felt like I was climbing the entire ride! I'll take big hills over wind any day.


Amen. Did 31 last night against a pretty solid headwind for a good portion of it. I wasn't quite at vomit stage but it really made me struggle.
 

BackLoafRiver

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Don't get me started. The stuff around here is FINALLY dry and I haven't had a free moment to get anywhere. This weekend, however, all bets are off. The road is nice but I am dreaming of dirt.
 

BackLoafRiver

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First mountain bike ride of the season and...just wow. Everything I was looking for. The dirt was tacky, the roots were rooty, and the falls were...painful.

10.5 short miles. It felt so nice.
 

bvibert

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First mountain bike ride of the season and...just wow. Everything I was looking for. The dirt was tacky, the roots were rooty, and the falls were...painful.

10.5 short miles. It felt so nice.

Nice! Feels great to get out on dirt doesn't it?

I rode yesterday for the first time in almost a week, due to rain, and it felt like I was starting my season all over again.
 

C-Rex

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Snuck in a quick ride at Rockland yesterday afternoon after spending the morning with mom. Only did around 6 miles but it was great to get out on such a beautiful day. I had never been there before and wow, what a fun place to ride! Can't wait to get back out there and spend some time exploring.
 

BackLoafRiver

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Nice! Feels great to get out on dirt doesn't it?

I rode yesterday for the first time in almost a week, due to rain, and it felt like I was starting my season all over again.

I'd say you have no idea, but I am certain you do. It is such a great contrast to pavement.

My saddle time this week is going to be hella limited. I have a super stupid schedule and the two days I can ride it looks like the weather may not cooperate. You are going to smoke me in a few weeks.
 

bvibert

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I did my first real group ride of the season last night... I was soooo far off the back that I don't think I'll be smoking anyone anytime soon!

It did feel good to get out and get pushed along by a group vs. riding solo where I tend to stop for breathers more often. I thought I was going on a beginner ride though, so I wasn't prepared for the pace that was dealt me (enough 'advanced' riders showed up that we split off from the beginner ride).

Ended up with 11.3 miles, between the group ride and my short pre-ride.

My only chance to ride the rest of this work week is tomorrow and the weather isn't looking good. Saturday and Sunday I'm going to a NEMBA trail building school. We're supposed to ride afterwards on both days so that should be good all around.
 

skijay

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Brian, Where was your group ride? Was it a NEMBA one? I remember last year and may be previous years, here on AZ there used to be RAW trips.
 

C-Rex

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Did around 6.5 miles at Nathan Hale after work yesterday with my friend Mike from CFM Cycles. He's fast as hell to begin with and he was riding his brandy new Pivot Mach 6 (which I have a huge chub for) so it was mostly him and my other friend ripping up to the next intersection and then waiting for me to catch them, rinse, repeat. For a shorter ride, the pace was pretty quick. It was painful but it also felt good to be pushed. Or dragged, however you want to put it. I surprised myself by cleaning some technical sections that I otherwise would have thought I'd never conquer. I'm also getting used to riding clipless again. I almost had a couple incidents with that but saved them, and it was nice to have the extra efficiency on some of those grinding climbs.

Our group does a ride every Wednesday (weather permitting, of course) at Case Mountain. It usually leaves the Line Street lot around 6. It's a medium paced ride with a good range of rider's abilities. We usually do around 8 miles. Anyone is welcome, and unlike a lot of cyclists, we are generally very friendly, so feel free to join us anytime.
 

bvibert

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Brian, Where was your group ride? Was it a NEMBA one? I remember last year and may be previous years, here on AZ there used to be RAW trips.

Yes, it was a NW CT NEMBA chapter group ride. We have 2 weekly, a beginner ride on Mondays and an intermediate ride on Thursdays. To keep things simple we always ride from the same spot, the Nassahegon soccer field parking area in Burlington CT.

Beginner Ride

Intermediate Ride

Anyone is welcome to join!
 

mlctvt

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awesome club ride last night. 29 miles , 18.7mph average, 1900 vert feet of climbing. Top speed on one of the down hills 41. 1mph.

This was the first time I used the RidewithGPS tracking App. It worked great. I put the cell phone in my back jersey pocket in a plastic bag since it was threatening to rain. Even though I was in an area with not the best cell reception it never lost contact. I agreed with bike computer on average speed and distance too.
 

jimk

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Sounds like you guys get some awesome rides.
I live about 12 miles from my work and bike commute one direction M-F between Apr and Nov. Use mass transit for the other direction. At age 60 and riding a creaky old hybrid I'm the slowest guy out there, but it's a scenic route across the Potomac near monuments/memorials in downtown Wash DC. I think of it as sweat equity for ski season.
Took this from bike back in April:
Copy of Copy of cherry blossoms 2014 010.jpg
 

BackLoafRiver

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Had a stellar ride with a shop group in Orono last night. I usually ride with them on MTB stuff in the summer but I happen to be up when they were running pavement.

34.5ish miles, 21.6 mph. Not overly hilly but the pace was spot on.

More to come in a different post about group ride etiquette.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone mobile a
 

C-Rex

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I took the day off from work last Friday to head up to Highland with a bunch of friends. I had problems getting my DH bike ready in time so I ended up renting a Specialized Status 2. Nice bike. We had an awesome morning. It was overcast with a very light drizzle moving in and out of the area every hour or two. The trails were fantastic. I hadn't been up there in over a year so a lot had changed since my last visit. The amount of work those guys put into grooming is amazing, and the flow of the trails is on par with a roller coaster. The rain moved in for good around 2:00. We did a few more runs, getting soaked to the bone, but soon the trails were getting way to greasy, so we changed and hit the bar. Great day!!

The next day, a couple of us went out around noon for a trail ride at Case. We did about 7 miles but it was a shit show. None of us realized how tired we were from the previous day. My muscles were shot and my balance was way off. I haven't been that miserable and frustrated on a ride in years. We got through it though, and I spent the rest of the day sitting on my ass and drinking beer.
 

snoseek

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I've been riding like an animal for the past 3-4 weeks. 5 days a week but sometimes a couple sessions (days off mostly) @ anywhere from 8-20 mies per ride, all singletrack. The riding in southern/centrl NH got REALLY good over the years and just keeps getting better. I haven't at all dreaded spring for the past coupe years. Biking=fucking awesome!
 
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